Economy

Macroeconomic data, trends, and policy developments.

Coverage of key economic indicators, central bank policy decisions, inflation trends, labor data, and growth signals. This category focuses on the macroeconomic forces that shape markets, interest rates, and long-term capital allocation.

Articles

2,616 total articles

U.S. Futures Trim Losses After January CPI Comes In Slightly Cooler Than Expected

U.S. Futures Trim Losses After January CPI Comes In Slightly Cooler Than Expected

U.S. stock index futures pared earlier losses after the Labor Department reported January Consumer Price Index readings that were marginally softer than economists had forecast. Headline CPI rose 2.4% year-over-year and 0.2% month-on-month; core CPI, which excludes food and energy, matched the annual estimate at 2.5% and was 0.3% on a monthly basis…

January CPI Rises Less Than Forecast as Core Prices Firm, Complicating Fed Outlook

January CPI Rises Less Than Forecast as Core Prices Firm, Complicating Fed Outlook

U.S. consumer prices rose 0.2% in January, below expectations, while core inflation - which excludes food and energy - accelerated to 0.3%. Annual CPI slowed to 2.4% from 2.7% as last year’s higher readings dropped out. Adjustments to seasonal factors and government shutdown-related data gaps influenced the release, and officials will weigh a firme…

Morgan Stanley Ups U.S. 2026 GDP Outlook as Hyperscaler Spending Boosts Capex

Morgan Stanley Ups U.S. 2026 GDP Outlook as Hyperscaler Spending Boosts Capex

Morgan Stanley raised its forecast for U.S. real GDP in 2026 to 2.6% from 2.4%, citing stronger capital expenditures driven by hyperscaler spending. The bank's revisions lift nonresidential business fixed investment and equipment spending projections, tilt the outlook toward an 'animal spirits' upside scenario, and highlight new downside risks tied…

Hedge funds ramp up short positions on Hims & Hers ahead of Wegovy dispute

Hedge funds ramp up short positions on Hims & Hers ahead of Wegovy dispute

Hedge funds increased short bets against Hims & Hers Health in January to levels not seen in at least a year, according to Hazeltree data provided to Reuters. The rise in short interest preceded a sequence of events that included Hims withdrawing a low-cost version of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug under FDA scrutiny, a patent lawsuit from Novo No…

EU Ministers to Weigh Measures to Strengthen Euro's Global Role

EU Ministers to Weigh Measures to Strengthen Euro's Global Role

Euro area finance ministers will evaluate a set of proposals intended to increase the euro's appeal as an international currency and reduce reliance on foreign financial infrastructure. The European Commission's list ranges from removing internal barriers and harmonising corporate law to issuing joint debt, launching a digital euro and encouraging …

BOE Chief Economist Says U.K. Inflation Is Slowing, But Not Quickly Enough

BOE Chief Economist Says U.K. Inflation Is Slowing, But Not Quickly Enough

Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said consumer-price inflation in the U.K. is declining but at a slower rate than authorities hoped. Pill emphasized that much of the projected drop in inflation reflects government interventions to lower energy costs rather than deeper underlying economic improvements. He also stood with a majority of Moneta…

Central Bank of Russia Lowers Policy Rate by 50 Basis Points to 15.50%

Central Bank of Russia Lowers Policy Rate by 50 Basis Points to 15.50%

The Central Bank of Russia cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 15.50% on Friday, marking a cumulative reduction of 550 basis points since it began easing policy in June last year. The decision surprised a majority of market analysts, with an LSEG poll showing only eight of 24 respondents predicted the cut while 16 expected the bank to h…

BoE Chief Economist Sees Underlying U.K. Inflation Settling Around 2.5%

BoE Chief Economist Sees Underlying U.K. Inflation Settling Around 2.5%

Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said underlying inflation in the U.K. appears to be stabilizing near 2.5% annually, above the BoE's 2% target. Pill made the comment in London and noted that removing a half percentage-point budget effect would leave the April/May forecast at about 2.5%. He recently voted with a narrow majority to keep the B…

Futures Flat Ahead of CPI; Markets Weigh AI-Led Volatility and Fed Outlook

Futures Flat Ahead of CPI; Markets Weigh AI-Led Volatility and Fed Outlook

U.S. stock index futures were largely unchanged following an AI-related market selloff that extended beyond software into brokerages and transportation. Traders stayed cautious ahead of the January Consumer Price Index due at 8:30 a.m. ET, a report that could affect expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Major index futures drifted lower in ea…

Billionaire Moon Race Intensifies as Musk and Bezos Reorient Space Ambitions

Billionaire Moon Race Intensifies as Musk and Bezos Reorient Space Ambitions

Elon Musk has repositioned SpaceX toward developing a lunar base and lunar-launch infrastructure, while Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin has concentrated resources on its Blue Moon lander ahead of an uncrewed flight this year. Both companies are advancing projects that NASA funds and that are intended to support astronaut landings, with industry players an…

Bank of Russia trims key rate by 50 basis points to 15.5% as growth cools

Bank of Russia trims key rate by 50 basis points to 15.5% as growth cools

The Bank of Russia lowered its policy rate by 50 basis points to 15.5% on Friday, aiming to support an economy that has slowed after earlier aggressive rate hikes. Officials said future adjustments will hinge on whether the recent easing in inflation is sustained and on the behaviour of inflation expectations, while projecting an average key rate i…

EU Trade Surplus Narrows as U.S. Tariffs and Chinese Imports Weigh on Exports

EU Trade Surplus Narrows as U.S. Tariffs and Chinese Imports Weigh on Exports

The European Union's trade surplus declined to 12.9 billion euros in December from 13.9 billion a year earlier, driven by weaker machinery, vehicle and chemical exports. A 12.6% fall in exports to the United States cut the surplus with that market by about a third to 9.3 billion euros, while the bloc's deficit with China widened to 26.8 billion eur…

BofA Revises March Rate-Cut Call for Turkey to 50bp, Cites Stickier Inflation

BofA Revises March Rate-Cut Call for Turkey to 50bp, Cites Stickier Inflation

Bank of America has trimmed its expected March rate cut from 100 basis points to 50 basis points for the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, citing stronger-than-expected inflation readings and persistent CPI pressures. The bank now projects a March policy rate of 36.50%, a subsequent return to 100bp easing per meeting from April, and a year-en…

China-Origin Drug Licensing Set to Surge Again as Pipeline Draws Global Buyers

China-Origin Drug Licensing Set to Surge Again as Pipeline Draws Global Buyers

Global pharmaceutical companies are accelerating purchases of China-developed experimental medicines as they aim to cut costs ahead of looming patent expirations. Licensing deal values tied to the greater China region jumped to an unprecedented $137.7 billion last year, and industry advisers say the total could grow substantially again over the nex…

Swiss inflation holds at lower edge of SNB’s 0-2% band

Swiss inflation holds at lower edge of SNB’s 0-2% band

Switzerland’s headline inflation rate was unchanged at 0.1% in January, keeping it at the bottom of the Swiss National Bank’s 0-2% target range. Core inflation, which excludes fresh and seasonal food, energy and fuel, stood at 0.5%. Month-on-month consumer prices slipped 0.1%, driven by lower electricity costs and cheaper clothing and footwear. Eco…

European and Asian Equities Attract Heavy Flows as U.S. Stocks See Outflows

European and Asian Equities Attract Heavy Flows as U.S. Stocks See Outflows

In the week through February 11, global equity funds recorded a fifth consecutive weekly inflow of $25.54 billion, driven largely by substantial purchases of European and Asian equities. European funds logged $17.53 billion - the strongest weekly intake since at least 2022 - while Asian funds took in about $6.28 billion. U.S. equity funds experienc…